All fresh acts to take stage at Narrows' Winter Blues Festival

The Narrows Center for the Arts annual Winter Blues Festival is an opportunity to showcase various genres of the blues and introduce its audiences to new acts.

This time around, the entire lineup on Friday, Jan. 13 features bands that are new to the Narrows, said Executive Director Patrick Norton. “We’re really excited about Friday night,” he added.

Slated for Friday, Jan. 13 and Saturday, Jan 14, the Winter Blues Festival is a two-day celebration of the blues in genres ranging from classic blues, Kansas City- and Chicago-influenced blues, British blues, soulful blues, and others.

“We’ve had every blues act times 12 here at the Narrows. The blues festival allows us to expose newer acts to our fans and new bands also bring in new fans,” said Norton.

One of those acts who’s making his first appearance at the Narrows is Eric Gales. A left-handed guitarist who’s recorded numerous albums, Gales was also a performer with the Experience Hendrix, Jimmy Hendrix tribute tour. Playing a hybrid of blues and hard rock along the lines of Santana and Hendrix, Norton said Gales is one of the harder rock performer they’ve booked at the venue. A native of Memphis, Gales’ catalog includes the critically acclaimed albums “That’s What I Am,” in 2001 and “Crystal Vision” in 2006.

At the other end of the spectrum, said Norton, is Davina and the Vagabonds. A Minnesota-based act that’s as much a jazz band as a blues band, Davina and the Vagabonds delivers raspy blues vocals backed up by horn- and piano instrumentation. “When we do events like this, we don’t just want to book all guitar-driven blues, which would be easy to do. Davina and the Vagabonds mixes it up with horns and piano,” said Norton.

Nick Schnebelen, a founding member of the family band Trampled Under Foot, will take the stage at the Narrows with his own band, which also includes his siblings Danielle and Kris. Schnebelen, who’s also slated for the Friday night lineup, brings in a Kansas blues/soul vibe, said Norton.

Boston area-based guitar prodigy Jimmy Bez rounds out the Friday lineup. Still in high school, Bez had started performing in the Boston area when he was 12 years old. Drawing comparisons to Eric Clapton and Joe Bonamassa, Bez’ band won the under-21 category at the Blues Challenge in Boston in 2015. “He’s a fiery young guitarist,” said Norton. “We’re also big into artist development at the Narrows and Bez, like Quinn Sullivan (who just performed at the Narrows) is going to be an artist who will be selling out shows in the future.”

Saturday brings another stellar lineup of blues acts with local band Black Cadillac Trio, who Norton described as a classic blues/roots trio, and solo artist Mark T. Small. A local favorite, Small’s performances are highlighted with his breadth of knowledge of the blues. For this show, Small is teaming up with Dave Howard, a local blues legend who’s known as a former vocalist/harmonic player with Young Neil and the Vipers, Dave Howard and The High Rollers and Roomful of Blues.

The Alexis P. Suter Band, an act that was featured in this summer’s Narrows Festival of the Arts, was so popular she’s back again this winter. A regular performer at Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble Sessions in Woodstock, New York, Suter brings a touch of soul that’s heavy on the grooves to the festival. “She has a heavy blues, soul-shaking bass baritone voice,” said Norton.

Davy Knowles, a British up-and-coming act with an adopted hometown of Chicago, performed at the Narrows last year. He’s back again this year on the heels of the release of his album, “Three Miles from Avalon,” inspired by Chicago electric guitar-driven blues. In the past few years, Knowles has performed on stage with myriad acts from Government Mule and Joe Bonamassa to Joe Satriani, Sonny Landreth and Peter Frampton.

Another headliner on Saturday is preeminent guitarist Dan Lawson, whose album “Soldier of Fortune” was named Album of the Year at at the 2015 Limelight Music Awards. Lawson brings a hard rock, boogie woogie sound to the Narrows Blues Festival, said Norton.

Tickets for individual nights cost $32 advance or $37 the day of the show. Two-day advance tickets cost $62 in advance. Doors open at 5 p.m., and the shows start at 6. For more information, visit www.narrowscenter.org.

Email Linda Murphy at lmurphy@heraldnews.com.

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